Coast Guard suspends search for missing man after boat found in Englewood

CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the 70-year-old boater who was last seen on Monday.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the 37-foot vessel was found 28 miles off the coast of Englewood with no one on board.

Bert Erwin, 70, was reported missing by a good Samaritan on Wednesday to the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders.

Erwin departed Rose Marina, in Marco Island on Monday, to reach his final destination of Indian Rocks Beach, according to the Coast Guard.

“We offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Erwin’s loved ones,” said Lt. Andrew Grady, search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. “One of the hardest decisions to make during a search is a suspension.”

Rescue crews searched 8,462 square miles. The weather conditions for the search were 10-knot winds and 3-foot seas.

Rescue crews were launched from stations Cortez, St. Petersburg, Sand Key, and Fort Myers by the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. Rescue crews from Air Stations Miami and Clearwater, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also helped conduct the search.

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